Personal Narrative Pre-writing

     The first event I would like to write about that changed my life is when I met my significant other, Bobby. The moment I met him I knew I would never be the same without him in my life. The story of how we met is...well, life-changing. The second event I am considering writing about is my involvement in FFA. Agriculture is a big part of my life and will always stay with me.
      I am leaning toward my first event because it is the one I am most emotional about and I remember every moment of it. I feel writing about FFA would be too choppy, as there are so many small events that have helped change me. It was never so sudden as it was with my moment with Bobby.
     Overall, I have very few concerns about this narrative. I am, however, looking forward to it! I love semi-creative writing and I am extremely excited about my topics. It is something that truly inspires me, making it very easy to write about.

My Summer Adventure

               As summer began, I was dreading my family vacation that was to take place over the 4^th of July. I was more interested in watching fireworks with my boyfriend than hiking up mountains in Colorado. I am not what one would call “athletic.” The last time I went to Colorado it ended with me on top of a mountain above the tree-line practically dying. This summer was not going to be enjoyed.

                The 3^rd of July rolled around and dread filled me. Finally, 2 hours after we planned to leave and lots of screaming family members later, we were on the road headed west. I slept through the ride until we hit Nebraska. As the endless flat land flew by out the window, I began to feel a little queasy. I tried to sleep it off, but it just wasn’t going away. I kept my mouth shut about feeling carsick. Finally, we pulled into a gas station. We hadn’t even pulled into a pump when I suddenly felt my stomach lurch. “Stop the car!” I yelled frantically. So my dad slammed on the brakes and I bolted from the truck. I ran for the nearest garbage can but they were all covered. I turned to the ground and knelt down. I tried to control my stomach, but with no avail. My family vacation had gone from bad to worse and it was only the first day.

                Several hours later we approached the base of the Rocky Mountains. They were absolutely breathtaking. The lumbering mountains sprawled into the sky as if they were competing to be the tallest. The white snowcaps glistened in the sun as fluffy white clouds floated aimlessly about them. I started to think that maybe vacation wouldn’t be so bad. Our truck climbed up the mountain at a steady pace, hugging the curves of the valleys. Huge boulders jutted out from the sides of the mountains. Finally, we had a break in the hairpin curves and came out in Estes Park where we had rented a house. Delicate shops lined the streets with quaint items displayed in the windows. Pedestrians meandered in and out of the shops. The brisk air floated through the truck’s windows refreshing me. We drove up the side of a mountain to our house. It was a green, pretty average house, but the view was incredible.

The rest of vacation was fairly smooth. I was sore after climbing several mountains, but the view was always worth the climb. I find myself always dreading the journey up my mountains in life, but when I get to the top everything is all worth it.

Blog #1-My Personal Writing Abilities

   

      I feel fairly confident in my writing skills. I would, however, like to improve on a few aspects. In the past I have approached essays and papers with a less than joyful attitude. Within recent years, I have found it less of a burden because I have learned how to be a better writer. One thing I am absolutely terrible at is pre-writing procedures. I have a hard time planning out my essays. It greatly affects how my ideas are organized within my writing. I oftentimes find random ideas scattered about my paper, thus reducing the effectiveness of it. I also have trouble grammatically knowing the difference between "effect" and "affect," "its" and "it's," and many others even though it has been drilled into my head many times.

      I am excited about English 101! Mainly this is because I am saving $270, and let me tell you, it feels great. :) I am, however, frightened about the prospect of being overloaded with papers to write because I am taking a lot of other hard classes this year. I recently took my first real college class this summer on ag education and leadership. It was hard for me to balance even with just one class, so I'm hoping the prior experience will help me through this. Some things I am hoping to learn is how to meet word count requirements without droning on and on about the same things just to make my essay longer. I also have a problem with redundant wordings, such as saying "prior experience," like I did in the previous sentence. I'm going into this class with a positive attitude and I hope I come out more knowledgeable and it was worth the $417 bill I got in the mail yesterday just because I have to take psychology with this! :)